Old Sun shook out his Daoist robe, then tottered back to his bedroom.
Before leaving, he left a remark.
"No need to count. There are thirty-two hens here that can lay eggs."
"The one in your hands isn't ready yet. It still has another year to go!"
"Ah... yes, yes, all right!"
Wang Ba stood rooted to the spot, but towering waves were surging through his heart!
Is this a cheat? After all the suffering I've been through, have I finally gotten a cheat?
He withdrew his hand in disbelief.
The screen of light before him, which no one else could see, instantly vanished.
Then he hurriedly reached beneath the big hen's belly again...
The screen reappeared.
[Target lifespan: 19.2 years] [Current remaining lifespan of host: 71.7 years] [Available expenditure options: none] [Extract / Deposit?]
It really is! It really is!
Wang Ba struggled to suppress his trembling and hurriedly glanced back at Old Sun's bedroom.
After making sure Old Sun could not see this spot.
He simply took the big hen back to his own bedroom.
He shut the door and windows tightly.
The room was far too cramped.
He pressed the big hen straight onto his bedding, not caring in the slightest whether it would get dirty.
Extract... deposit...
I'll try extracting first!
Wang Ba lightly tapped "Extract."
A slider promptly popped up before him.
As he dragged the slider, the numbers on the screen changed as well.
[Target lifespan -10 years] [Host lifespan +1 year] [Current remaining lifespan of host: 72.7 years]
"Cluck, cluck..."
The big hen turned its head to look at Wang Ba, utterly bewildered.
With its intelligence, it could vaguely sense that it seemed to have lost something invisibly.
But with what little intelligence it possessed, it had absolutely no idea what it had lost.
Ten years of a Precious Chicken's lifespan only got me one year?
Still, that makes sense. How could a chicken compare to a human?
Wang Ba closed his eyes and carefully examined how he felt.
Yet he noticed no change.
That's it?
Wang Ba was somewhat disappointed.
Then what if I deposit instead?
After some thought, he dragged the slider a little in the opposite direction.
[Target lifespan +11 years] [Host lifespan -2.2 years] [Current remaining lifespan of host: 70.5 years]
He still felt nothing.
But Wang Ba did discover that when his own lifespan was converted and given to the big hen, the ratio became one to five.
Is some of it lost during conversion?
Wang Ba felt a pang.
Going back and forth like that cost the equivalent of five years of a Precious Chicken's lifespan.
But to his surprise, the big hen pinned beneath him seemed... to have changed a little!
Its feathers, which had not been particularly pretty, seemed a little brighter.
Even the force with which it struggled in his hands had noticeably increased!
This made Wang Ba press down harder on it.
"Cluck, cluck... cluck, cluck..."
The big hen twisted its head and called to Wang Ba.
He did not know whether it was his imagination, but he seemed to sense the big hen saying to him:
"Gently... be gentle..."
Fuck!
Wang Ba hurriedly shook his head!
I'm losing my mind!
So, were the changes in this big hen real or not?
After some thought, he dragged the slider again.
[Target lifespan +1 year] [Host lifespan -0.2 years] [Current remaining lifespan of host: 70.3 years]
This time.
Wang Ba saw the change clearly.
The big hen's body grew rounder and plumper almost visibly!
It even turned its head toward him, its eyes half closed as it bobbed its head lightly.
It seemed to be enjoying itself quite a bit.
"Cluuuck~~"
Its voice was mature and rather enchanting.
Wang Ba was somewhat speechless.
But more than anything, he was excited!
He vaguely felt that he seemed to have found a use for his cheat!
Accelerating maturity!
Although it consumed lifespan.
And nearly half was lost in the process.
He could easily obtain lifespan from other chickens, then concentrate that lifespan on raising a batch of breeding chickens.
He could accelerate their growth and shorten the time they needed to mature!
Then breed them rapidly!
That way, there was hope of meeting the sect's monthly tribute quota!
It's just... with Old Sun around, I can't act too recklessly, or he'll easily notice something wrong.
Wang Ba pondered silently.
It looked as though he would have to proceed more cautiously.
After some thought, he marked the big hen, which was still lying on his bedding enjoying itself, then tossed it back outside.
He wanted to observe this big hen's condition before deciding what to do next.
Although he had lost 1.4 years of lifespan today.
As long as he could confirm his guess, it would be worth it.
He shut the door again.
He pushed the bedding aside and lay on the hard plank bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Suddenly, as though something had occurred to him, he sat bolt upright.
Right! Now that I can obtain lifespan, doesn't that mean I have a chance to master the Body-Strengthening Scripture?
Even cultivating the Body-Strengthening Scripture to the thirteenth level would take 8,191 years. Accounting for the losses, that's only a little over eight thousand Precious Chickens!
Over eight thousand Precious Chickens.
They were incomparably precious.
Elsewhere, they might have been very hard to obtain.
But here at this chicken farm, there were plenty of opportunities!
Of course, that was assuming he could stay here without trouble.
At that thought, he hurriedly rolled out of bed and picked up the Body-Strengthening Scripture from the foot of his bed again.
He turned through it once more, page by page.
There was nothing complicated about the Body-Strengthening Scripture. From beginning to end, it contained only a dozen or so postures, but with days and months of accumulated effort, dripping water could wear through stone.
Wang Ba tried following along and discovered that although these postures looked easy, they took considerable effort.
He practiced for an entire night, only barely getting started when the roosters began to crow.
Of course, he had merely gotten started. Reaching the first level would still require a year of arduous cultivation.
He would have to practice every day without fail.
Just then.
The screen popped up again.
[Current remaining lifespan of host: 70.3 years] [Available expenditure options: Body-Strengthening Scripture, level 1. Accounting for aptitude and root bone, the converted cost is 9 years]
Before Wang Ba could feel delighted, the lifespan cost that followed stunned him!
Nine years?! Didn't it say it only needed one year?
This cost was far too high!
It was nine times the time required for normal cultivation.
But after a moment's hesitation, Wang Ba still chose to spend it.
He had no choice.
Otherwise, was he really supposed to wait eight thousand years?
Who knew what unforeseen changes might occur over those eight thousand years?
[Host lifespan -9 years] [Current remaining lifespan of host: 61.3 years]
The next second.
His arms, his thighs...
The faint swelling sensation coming from them made him feel as though strength was surging forth.
Yet from deep within his body, he also faintly felt a trace of weakness.
The overlapping sensations of strength and weakness even made him feel a little nauseated for a moment.
The screen before him remained unmoving.
[Current remaining lifespan of host: 61.3 years] [Available expenditure options: Body-Strengthening Scripture, level 2. Accounting for aptitude and root bone, the converted cost is 18 years]
After hesitating, Wang Ba chose to close it.
Mastering the first level of the Body-Strengthening Scripture overnight could still be explained by his already having a foundation.
But any more would draw a little too much attention.
Even though Old Sun was the only other person here, he still did his best to avoid exposing himself.
He got out of bed.
His lower back was somewhat stiff from sitting rigidly all night.
He pushed open the door.
To his surprise, he saw Old Sun standing in the courtyard, holding a round, plump hen. His usually indifferent face was now filled with bewilderment.
"That shouldn't be... how did it suddenly start laying eggs..."
Before you continue